The Torries (1965-1968)
Genre: Garage Rock
Base Location: Eugene, OR
Members:
- Chris Woodward – Lead Vocals
- John Lundberg – Lead Guitar
- Tom Robertson – Bass
- Mike Long – Bass
- Bill Shaw – Drums
- Dave Sossy – Keyboards/Piano
We were a local Eugene band that had some popularity between ’65-’68. We had a pretty busy schedule with Frat parties on campus and up the McKenzie River Highway to a Dance Barn in the small town, Vida. We played the Iron Bridge just after it opened. They had some pretty fancy recording equipment which kind of spooked our very talented lead guitar, John Lundberg. He settled down, however. He wasn’t used to being recorded at a fairly large venue.
Our lead singer was Chris Woodward, piano was Dave Sossy, and bass was Tom Robertson and then Mike Long.
We played a very popular venue of the southern valley called the Monroe Stomp at Monroe park in Eugene. TheHall had really pretty good acoustics and the placed was packed for our two or three appearances there.
The Wailers were one of our idols as they were all great musicians. Dave Roland was great on the drums and Neil Andersson was just out of this world on lead guitar. To hear Ron Gardner sing ‘All of My Nights All of My Days” was just too much.
The Torq club IMHO had by far the best acoutics because of it’s circular shape. The Wailers were especially good here. We played there once or twice as well as at the Springfield, OR D Street Corral, which I cannot find reference to.
Charlie Musselwhite and BB King played there together one time that I can remember. The Eugene armory was bigger than the Torq Club but was a square hall. Just packed every time for the Wailers. What a prolific era and how great to be, in some very small way, a part of it.
-Bill Shaw, May 2012
We were a composite of people from Eugene high schools. Chris Woodward, John Lundberg and I were from Sheldon. Tom Robertson and then replacement Mike Long and Dave Sossy from South Eugene.
We were together through the end of high school and then into College at the University of Oregon. As college proceeded we split apart and I lost track of most members except for Chris.
John did go into another band, which I don’t recall and they made an attempt to cut a record with limited results. John went into the Navy which quickly realized his immense talent and he, I believe, was assigned to their main band.
After retiring from a 35 year career in Dentistry my thoughts drifted back to those wonderful days on stage.
I really wanted to get some of us back together, but this was not to be. I ran into Chris’s sister, Leslie, last year and she informed me that Chris had died at age 50 of MS. I am still affected by this.
As my brother Jim said, a good guitar player in his own right, you can’t go back home but at least you are lucky to have the memories. This is true.
-Bill Shaw, 26 May 2012
Source: PNW Bands